I remember when my brother worked in a factory. Though the overnight hours were tolerable (for him, at least), the work itself wasn't. Having to do the same task over and over again had an incredibly short shelf life and, by the time he got out for the day, he was too worn out to do anything else in his spare time. He only lasted three weeks in that industry. While I can't say I understand what it's like to do that kind of work, Everson's film acts as an accurate simulation of such. Factory work is notoriously tedious and, by stretching the film out to eight hours and showing the workday in real time, Everson not only highlights the mundanity of the industry but also puts us in the worker's shoes. And that he's able to accomplish this via a fly-on-the-wall camera which simply documents a standard workday highlights how effortlessly he makes this point. Regardless of how intricate or involved the work is, the reality of the situation is that the contraptions produced aren't unique and are just numbers. Those who find this overlong or repetitive are feeling the full force of its slow-burning tragedy. The noticeable ratio of African American/Vietnamese workers to white employees also calls attention to the racial disparities which are engendered by capitalism/hierarchy without directly mentioning either subject.
At a couple points, the camera moves away from the machines and into the break room. Given the monotony of what we saw beforehand, their laughter and friendly relations here act as a relief. One worker even breaks character by jokingly acknowledging the camera's existence. These are the only moments where some semblances of joy disrupt the visual drone of their work. As brief as these moments are, they're about as much as one can hope for.
